Lenten Series – Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life. Franciscan Priest and spiritual guide, Fr. Richard Rohr, will help us understand the tasks of the two halves of life and show that those who have fallen, failed, or “gone down” are the only ones who understand the richness of “up.”

What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as “falling upward.” In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness of wisdom.

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

Paul tells us in first Corinthians 11, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became older, I put away childish things.”

Before anyone can make that leap, we need to be able to identify what it means to spiritually be a “child” and how that relates to Carl Jung’s two halves of life.

We’ll gather at Holy Family from 6:30-8:00 on five of the Wednesday evenings of lent to break open Fr. Richard’s teachings on this subject. (February 21, 28, & March 7, 14, 21)

With the help of Fr. Richard’s videos, we’ll explore the counterintuitive message that we grow spiritually much more by doing wrong than by doing right–a fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout life.

Offers a new view of how spiritual growth happens? Loss as gain.

Explains why the second half of life can and should be full of spiritual richness.

How modern society and structures are stacked against those in that second half of their journey.